WA’s Barnett in pole position

The election in Western Australia on Saturday is expected to deliver
Colin Barnett
’s government another four-year term, with voters – in stark contrast to their views on the other minority government in Canberra – set to reward Barnett for a job well done.

While there is no formal coalition between the WA Liberal and National parties, the electorate has come to accept the alliance and that situation is likely to continue. Within WA conservative politics, Barnett has proudly embodied the state’s long tradition of pro-development governments.

During his term, WA has continued to lead the nation in finding alternative ways of providing state-funded services, with more involvement of not-for-profit organisations or private funding. Half the state’s public schools have opted for local autonomy and can now work with each other to create improvements rather than depending on central bureaucracy.

The “royalties for the region" program was born of the need to cement the Nationals’ support, but it is hard to find anyone in WA who doesn’t approve. The program aimed to spread some of the benefits of the mining boom to voters whose personal fortunes were not tied to resources but who have had to cope with the cost of living pressures produced by the race to extract. Some of the largesse may have been overdone – the five-star South Hedland Sports Stadium comes to mind – but both the government and the Labor opposition have vowed it will continue.

With state finances so closely tied to the price of iron ore, however, the incoming government is likely to have to trim its sails as the mining boom moves into its next phase.

Barnett has spent up big on new infrastructure, including a new children’s hospital and developing residential land – all worthy goals but funded mostly by debt. Ratings agencies have sounded the alarm. So far, Barnett has brushed such warnings aside, confident there are ample revenue streams, but the state’s growing debt burden needs to be contained.

Barnett’s other weakness is that he no longer has an heir apparent. At 62, he is clearly determined to see out a full four-year term, but since former treasurer
Christian Porter
decamped to federal politics there is no succession plan. Treasurer
Troy Buswell
, while able, has been personally erratic. Hence Labor’s campaign suggesting that voters might not get an older, reliable vehicle but could end up with a flashy roadster instead. It is unlikely to be enough to send the selections Labor’s way, though its promise to build a $5.2 billion Metronet suburban rail network has a lot of support, despite the budget implications. Barnett may not get a landslide, but he deserves to win.